AIM. We aimed to identify the types of complications associated with tracheobronchial foreign bodies aspiration and to establish the factors predisposing to their development.

Methods. This prospective study evaluated 47 children diagnosed with foreign body aspiration with evidence of foreign body detected by rigid bronchoscopy or fibrobronchoscopy, admitted to Pneumology Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child, from 2019 until 2022.

Results. The most common age group was  1-3 years, which constituted 80.8%, with boys slightly prevailing (53.2%). Sunflower seeds and nuts were the most common foreign bodies ? 61.7%. Pneumonia was the most common complication (68.08%), followed by atelectasis (14.89%), pleurisy (4.25%), bronchiectasis (2.12%), and bronchial deformity (2.12%). There were also 3 cases of bronchial perforation with pneumomediastinum, 2 of which occurred during the extraction procedure. Although in 65.9% of cases choking episode was observed by the witness, only 14.8% presented themselves at the hospital in the first 72h, the late diagnosis being associated with the development of complications.

Conclusion. The delay in diagnosis and treatment placed our patients at a significantly higher risk of developing complications both during the bronchoscopic procedure and in the long term.